The G-Zero Chronicles (REMASTER)
by Phantom R.D.S. Foxx
Summary: The remaster of G-Zero Chronicles. 5 years after the events of Star Fox Command's ninth ending, Krystal visits the planet of Papetoon with the Star Wolf team on her mate Panther's invite. However, there she meets her old love and she finds that the relationship she has with Panther may not be so strong after all. Rated M for scolding and suggestive sexual acts.
1. Prologue

Something I should have done ages ago. My most popular story ever, the G-Zero Chronicles is finally getting the remaster it deserves. I hope you will enjoy this remastered prologue. More is on its way.

**Prologue: The Death of a Hero  
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>"Wow, I can't believe he was just hanging out here this whole time." comments Falco, slightly exhausted from blowing Pigma to pieces. "How boring!"<p>

The remark about how much fun it was, was really meant for Fox but he's not in the mood for it. In his faithful Captain's chair, like so many others have, he stares deeply sunken in his own thoughts at the black, with star-sprinkled space in front of him. His elbows are placed on some unused iron between buttons and switches that do all sorts of stuff he should know but he chooses not to on purpose. His mind is full enough as it is. His right paw is clenched into a fist with the other covering it, like paper covering rock in that hand game. Both cover his mouth. Staring out the window usually calms his mind however this is a different story.

He does not have to make a hard decision. One that might influence the outcome of this Here's another. That has become the nickname for this war; at least, as he heard a couple of Cornerian fighter pilots chatter about over unprotected communication channels. Kind of stupid when you think about it. Instead, that decision has already been made. And he has the haunting feeling that it wasn't the right one.

_Going after Wolf. Why the heck did I choose for that option?_ spooks through his mind. His choice to pursue Wolf in an attempt to him down finally, end his endless rivalry between them, might have been very wrong. His gut is telling him that. Telling? More like shouting, screaming, yelling and shrieking it. It turns him nuts and makes his stomach churn.

_Was I so blinded by anger... That I forgot to look past this rivalry and see the bigger picture? That I couldn't see the obvious trick that they were playing on me? That they wanted me to follow them? Besides, why would Pigma even be here?_

He recalls the floating cube with an ugly pig face's words. _Somehow he was able to suggest that Wolf and co were good people. Even though they kicked him out of Star Wolf because he was a pain in the neck.  
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>It all becomes a little too overwhelming for him alone. He rises from this chair and turns around, walking towards Falco standing across the hologram projector used for communication. It resembles the same look as it did when they were on Sauria with the original Great Fox. Somehow Slippy, before he scooted off to Aquas to marry some unknown woman, managed to recreate a near identical twin. Only now the bust of the person who is on the line appears instead of just a floating head.<p>

He doesn't greet Falco or say anything to him for that matter. Falco doesn't do any effort either. The situation turns cold-hearted; both can feel it hanging in the air. Falco more so than Fox but with his arms crossed, stern look on his face and an attitude that screams "I couldn't care less" he hides it. Fox however...

The door of the room suddenly opens and ROB comes into the room using some train tracks to move around the Great Fox II. He brings a cold breeze along with him, giving Fox even more chills than he already had. Otherwise hardwired to the ship, this allows him for more direct interaction with both Fox and Falco with the added benefit of being able to observe problems and fix them directly instead of detecting it and sending Fox after for the billionth time. It's almost as if he can feel more than any robot usually should.

Beeping a happy tone, like he was whistling, he joins Fox and Falco at the hologram projector. He sees the pretty harsh look on Fox's face but a change to ask him about it is not given to him.

"ROB? Any information on Wolf?" asks Fox just so it breaks the tension. He can see Falco is relieved that something is being said as well.

ROB was going to try to ask it again but is suddenly informed that something came from the Cornerian Army. Since it has Priority One written all over it, he puts emotions aside and goes to pre-scripted sequences.

"I am receiving a message from General Peppy." he reports. "It was broadcast to all inhabited worlds in the Lylat system. Shall I play it?"

Fox looks over at Falco to see if he's interested in it. The avian shrugs somewhat indifferent but seems to want some distraction. "Please." answers Fox.

The holographic transmission opens and General Peppy appears on screen, wearing the red uniform General Pepper used to wear. Several sizes smaller of course since he's shorter than the old hound. His white mustache is completely grown and his ears turned floppy since their last encounter. All suggesting that he's growing very old.

"This is General Peppy Hare of Corneria!" he proclaims very enthusiastic, almost at the top of his voice. "As of this moment, I am announcing out total and complete victory! A brave fighter squadron managed to penetrate the Venom Sea! These heroes wiped out all the enemy ships and bases!"

"That's...That's incredible!" says Fox flabbergasted and curious as to who did it. Cause that ended very quickly.

"To help mark the occasion of this most glorious of days... I have asked the heroic squadron leader to say a few words!"

Peppy disappears from the projection for a while only to make place for something that makes Fox almost scratch out his eyes out of their sockets. A blackish grey wolf dressed in black and blue leather, shoulder pads and having a light blue with grey visor hanging over his left eye that he always pretends to be a cybernetic eye that allows him for better target acquisition appears on the projector. The best worst pickup line one could ever use.

"Good people of the Lylat system... My name is Wolf O'Donnell. I am the leader of the Star Wolf squadron!"

"Him?!" exclaims Falco. "Oh, you've gotta be frickin' kidding me!?"

His best friend's astonishment and anger reflect Fox's thoughts perfectly. No question about that. However he's frozen in astonishment. The calm, kind of friendly voice in which Wolf addresses himself to the people of Lylat. He! That stinking lowlife of a man. One that would sell his mother for only a buck that meant he could have some stinking cash. Alongside with him are his associates, most of them just as rotten to the core as he is.

"We know that many of you have a somewhat negative opinion of us. This saddens us greatly, for we love all the people of this great system. Nevertheless we placed our lives in peril with no thought of reward or glory. Perhaps now, you might find it in your hearts to embrace us as equals. For even the coldest of hearts sometimes yearns for friendship."

"Yeah!" yaps another filthy low life named Leon who appears in the picture. "And we're not done with the whole peace and love thing, either! We'll keep serving the community! Y'know... Aiding weaklings and stuff?"

He's clearly having no clue what he's talking about. If he even knew a grain of what he was talking about, he could have sold it as "pretty genuine". Even a toddler can see through his obvious faking. The snigger he has at the end every sentence that rolls over his lips just indicates evil shown in kids' shows where they teach right from wrong.

The next person coming into the picture is another piece of crap. Maybe the biggest pain Fox has ever encountered. Whereas Wolf is a thorn in his eye, Leon being the equivalent of a paper cut, this one is a stake through his heart. The purple furred panther with a scar running over one of his eyes begins to speak in his overdone, maybe for some desperate woman attractive deep voice. The biggest ego in the universe aside from Falco of course.

"And now, Panther would like to introduce a new team member! We could not have saved you all without her help! A former Star Fox member and the most beautiful pilot outside of me... Krystal!"

If Fox had something in his paws, it would have fallen if not shattered on the ground. He hears Panther's word circulate in his inner ear maybe a thousand and yet it's like loud static to him. Suddenly, the wrong choice dilemma he had comes to a resolve. One Fox wishes he never had to hear.

"...Crud."

A simple uttering, soft and sad. Fox can barely control the shock that is running rampant throughout his body. He feels his breathing slow down, his heart skipping a beat or two. Despite his best efforts, a tear sprouts out of his tear-duct, slowly moving downwards to his cheek.

"Some time ago I was asked to leave team Star Fox." says Krystal in her cute British accent. Her sweet voice feels like the most corrosive acid, the most lethal gunshot wound and the most venomous snake bite Fox has ever felt. The churning in stomach turns into gross belch which he can cover up by coughing in between.

The coughing doesn't stop Krystal's talking however. "I thought that pain would never end. But now I have a new team! And a new life... And I couldn't be happier with my fantastic new partners! From now on, I fight with them for the glory of Lylat! With our help, this system will know endless peace and harmony!"

With that, the transmission ends. Chaos ensues in Fox's head as the hologram closes and the light it shined tones down to none. What sounds enter his ears is nothing more but static. Grey, snowy and meaningless static. His mind begins to be covered by thunderclouds, as violent as psychopath on acid and as black as the depth of Wolf's non-existent heart. His thoughts are getting fogged up. Nothing will come in and nothing will come out. A total isolation. A lock is placed on his heart, with the key thrown away and crushed into tiny fragments.

How could she drill him and Star Fox so deep into the ground? Couldn't she see that it was tough, if not near impossible for Fox to leave the team? How many nights he cried for her, feeling the empty, cold sheets of her side of the bed? How many morning he sat on a chair with a plate in front of him, a glass of juice or water next to the plate, where he would just stare at Krystal's seat for minutes uninterrupted? Imagining her sitting there, laughing, eating, talking. How she would look at him, if she was just there for only the slightest, shortest minute and he would ask, if not beg her on his knees for her to forgive him. To stay with him forever and ever.

Of course she couldn't. She was gone. Never to be heard from again, only by rumors he caught once in a while. For the rest, there was nothing. No picture, no appearance of her anywhere until this very communication. Wolf obviously did this to rub the bad break-up between him and Krystal in. Pouring salt into an open wound. Krystal however wouldn't do this out of revenge, she isn't like that. Her words are true and that is the most painful part of it.

The whole thought process he just went through is being hidden within the fog. For simplifying reasons, Fox imagines the process to be a circle as the process never ends, never getting a conclusion that is satisfying. And that stays in the fog. The fog is getting thicker and begins to feel like a wall slowly being built up. Fox sees it and allows it to happen. The circle disappears more and more and only several seconds later, it's nothing but whiteness.

At first, having lost those thoughts feels like a huge loss. One that could rip Fox's heart to even more pieces. But only the blink of an eye is necessary for Fox to snap back to reality. His eyes dart immediately to the only person left in his life since Star Wolf took everything else. His pride, his reputation as the faithful protector of Lylat, strangely enough Peppy's trust as no private message came from him to maybe comfort Fox a bit and most importantly his one true love.

"What a total snow job!" cries Falco out in a fit of stamping anger. "They don't care about any of that stuff! Except for Krystal but..." He calms himself a bit, taking a breather, putting his hands in his sides and looking at his pal who's distressed beyond belief. "Well... They get glory and we get the bum's rush! Bah! I'm gonna puke." he says still quite aggravated in Fox's defense.

The red vulpine appreciates it but nothing about him shows that. Several more tears have come out and get stuck on his cheeks. He snivels and looks about like nothing matters to him. He feels on the verge of an anger fit. Not that Falco would mind that. In fact, he would encourage it. Only if he can help, that's only natural.

Fox looks up after a few seconds of absolute silence in which Falco hasn't moved an inch, loyally awaiting Fox's answer. "...Say, Falco?" says the hoarse inbred of a voice that was Fox's at one time. "There's a... A nice little shop on the planet of Papetoon. It's quiet. Relaxed. Away from everything and everyone."

"Papetoon, eh? Yeah, that's pretty much the edge of everything right there."

"You...You wanna go with me?" asks Fox opening up more while holding back more of his tears.

"...Sure, buddy. Let's go." says Falco as he comes closer to the vulpine and hugs him like only best friends can. It's just the support Fox needs and on Falco's supporting shoulder, every clogged up emotion comes out. The fog stays however. Only remnants are cried out but it's enough for Fox.

What's behind the fog doesn't exist anymore. He has to move on and Falco is the ideal person to get that done for him. Even though the remnants will ruin much and will stay for a very long time, someone like Falco always has a great idea to turn the table in his favor. In this case, Fox's. It's a sacrifice that egocentric avian grants out of the graciousness of his heart.

Falco lets go of Fox at the perfect moment as both walk to the Captain's chair. Fox standing on the right side and the Falco on the left. Both staring at the space ahead of them.

"ROB." says Fox out of nowhere. "Set course for Papetoon. And don't spare the horses."

"Affirmative."

"One other thing: Don't spare the Great Fox either." This remark surprises the robot a bit. Falco not so much. "I want it completely gone... All of it. No Star Fox for Fox McCloud anymore. Without her... What am I? A helpless hunk of flesh and bones without a purpose in life." he shrugs getting all sad again.

Falco starts to think about that and comes to a very different conclusion. "Hmmm... You know buddy?" Fox looks his way. "I think you're quite wrong about that... Ever heard of G-Zero?" he proposes to Fox more than asking if he knew it.

A long silence takes over. Fox takes a seat in his chair with his head bowed down towards his own legs. His fingers on several keyboard keys, tapping them in a simple melody that soon turns into pretty complicated symphony. One that is stuck in his head for some reason now.

"You know what... Falco?"

"What is it Fox?" asks Falco, not looking at Fox.

"Who is Fox?" says a different toned voice coming from Fox's chair as Falco puts his hand on the vulpine's left shoulder, showing his support. If that is what will make him feel better, than so be it. He'd rather see someone who calls himself by a different name, dressed up as someone he isn't then someone who's drowning in misery and darkness.

With the engine exhaust flaming, they enter the green planet of Papetoon's atmosphere, turning their backs on their present life and looking ahead at the future. A month later, the Cornerian Army found the Great Fox II without its occupants floating in space. General Peppy was called to investigate the matter personally. The old rabbit agreed in concern for his protégé's and his friend's life and escorted by his personal guards, he found ROB disabled. He turned him back on and asked what happened to Fox and Falco. The robot however refused to tell anything other than that they were fine and happy with their new life without Star Fox and everything is association with that.

Seeing no use in trying to convince the robot, Peppy ordered the ship back to Corneria where it would be disassembled to find traces of where Fox and Falco went. Maybe audio recordings might make him wiser. When it didn't arrive however but suddenly found that loads of cash had been transferred to the Cornerian Army central bank account, those in charge must have sold the ship. To who was unknown. Fired on the spot they were!

Peppy had nothing but he kept on searching. Years passed on without any word of our heroes. As days turned into months, the idea of Star Fox missing disappeared from mainstream attention as the heroic deeds of the rising Star Wolf team where all that was highlighted. Star Fox became a distant memory after only a year and nothing but a forgotten legend hidden away in books in a library no one ever looks for.

Only true supports, like Bill Grey and a vast majority of Cornerian City citizens stayed supportive of what Star Fox has done. Bill even went out of his way to organize search groups without any orders given. Peppy hated to do this but he didn't have any other choice. Because of this, Bill had to be court martialed. He was sentenced to a few months in prison and was dishonorably discharged from the Cornerian Army. His search however never stopped, no matter continuity of disappointment. Logically, it wore on him. So much so, that in a drunken fit of crying and panic he jumped over the railing of a balcony and fell to his death. And with that, all the remaining support that Star Fox had left.

I hope you enjoyed!  
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	2. Five years after

_Note to Nail Strafer:  
>I have not been able to correct the mistakes you've mentioned in the Prologue. Reading back on them, I can't imagine that I wrote that. I mean... GOD! Anyway, I'll be attending to those this weekend.<em>

_As for this chapter 1, it was already finished when I saw your review. I gave it a slight polish, using your tips trying to simplify some sentences and making it less complicated than it should. I'm kind of a mess when it comes to FanFics right now since I have tests to worry about. I highly suggest that you halt your reviews for a while. Because the way I see it, at this moment, you're words reach me but at the same time they don't you know?_  
><em>I write because it releases stress. It's just something I use to get it all out. I have different methods but this one is the biggest. And... when I have that, I don't seem to absorb any advice given to me until the stress that caused me to write so much is gone.<em>

_You're probably puzzled nah? Story in short: I continue to write like this until the tests are over! After that, I'll attend to all the mistakes. I'll upload this chapter, than the next, than the next and so on until the tests are behind me. Then, I'll stop, look back, remaster the remaster__ and if you still feel like it, you can review that. It's kind of useless to put so much reviewing effort into something that will not change until it's ready, right?  
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_Alright, thanks for reading and I hope you understand!_

_-Phantom R.D.S. Foxx_

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 1: Five years after<span>**

She holds her head in paws, thinking and staring at the door in front of her. It has been a long time since she sat in her own room like this. Maybe 4 to 5 years ago. It feels nostalgic to be back yet it also feels off. As if she doesn't belong here anymore.

She did say goodbye to this place. Well... she was asked to say goodbye to her life here. A memory still branded on her frontal lobe. Like a tattoo one regrets ever getting.

She looks behind her and sees the vastness of space. She hops further onto bed instead of sitting on the edge and turns around with her legs crossed. The mother ship she's in flies by the purple planet of Eledard with its thriving industries.

That's what she heard at least. It was a planet plagued by pollution issues and mainly used by the Cornerian Army and the Cornerian Government alike to dump and, or recycle what they deemed as waste. Rumors about arrested spies, traitors or terrorists being dumped there were common. However they were nothing more than complot theories to scare the narrow-minded.

After the debacle on Zoness during the Lylat War however, where a mad scientist hell-bent on taking over the Lylat System used the once tropical paradise as a dumping ground for all the mess his army made, Eledard's function changed. It returned to the cooperative mish-mash it once was as all ties with Corneria's military and governmental institutions were cut off. Only companies and its workers were allowed on this planet from that moment on. The industries became gradually cleaner thanks to an abundance of filters and new technologies.

A chill suddenly runs across her back. Not because she imagines the harmful conditions in which they are supposed to work, but because it's pretty cold in her room. That she only now notices that.

She can feel it by her hairs standing up. Her breath is visible and rises up like smoke. It fogs up the window in front of her as well. The air-conditioning is getting out of control. The big block of machinery hanging not two feet from her bed seems to do whatever it wants. It has a creepy side unfortunately. It always seems to follow where Krystal is and begins to blow either too cold or too warm air depending on Krystal's body temperature and mood. Blocking off with duct tape or any other proved ineffective. Someone always removes it, time after time again and prankster has never been found, even though she has her suspicions.

Without a remote, not any buttons on the damned thing itself either and only one central computer that controls the temperature, sleeping or just being here is pretty hard. The central computer doesn't cooperate and even hates her. Add the fact that this hateful concoction of RAM and ROM controls all inside the ship... and uses its full potential to ruin her day.

_Leon still didn't get control over this ship?_ she thinks aggravated as the bloody machine has the nerve to blow in her way again. It feels ice cold.

She looks down at her pink, white-striped suit and her white heels. It's her newest outfit as the old one was kind of ruptured during one of the ground missions where a sandstorm nearly blew her away. Her suit was shredded showing parts of her skin and fur in places that were meant to remain uncovered. It was to the obvious pleasure of some males present. Punching two of them in the face and kicking another one in the groin made them all stop staring instantly. She has hated Katina ever since. Bill Grey was only nice guy there.

She sighs deep and thankful as the air-conditioning seems to give her a break. She turns around 180 degrees and looks right at her bedroom door. A simple slide-open door with a two buttons horizontally next to each other on the right of the doorpost. One green button to open the door and a red one to lock the door. The red one is has been pressed. She's not particularly craving for social contact at the moment.

Instead, her eyes move around the room observing every detail. She sees nothing has changed since she has been gone. The same furniture still stands here and looks fine. Though what is wooden could use a lick of paint here and there. Her walls and ceiling are sky blue but bland. No paintings, pictures or any decoration whatsoever hangs on her walls. It feels depressing but nothing like she has gone through before this.

And of course her bed hasn't changed. It needed a wash but that was of little trouble. That is where the washing machine was invented for not?

"Krystal?" she hears coming from behind her bedroom door. She recognizes it immediately. No voice she knows is that deep. Wolf once tried to pose for him to try and prank her but failed miserably. She had a good laugh because of that though.

A soft knock on the door follows. "Are you in there? I'm missing you."

It makes Krystal giggle a bit. As if he's begging to see her again. She decides that he has suffered enough by not seeing her for ten minutes at most. She rises from the bed and presses the red button again, unlocking the door.

"Come in." she says friendly as she walks back to the bed.

The door opens and the purple-black with gold decorations all around, a complete fashion disaster if you ask her, boots of Panther step in. The door closes behind him as he can take a peek at Krystal fine backside before she sits it down on the bed.

For once he's not holding his signature red rose in his hand which is a relief for Krystal. Even though he's dressed up as if he just got out of his own customized ship, the Black Rose Wolfen, Krystal knows that it's mostly show.

Behind the distasteful uniform and his bombastic egocentrism, stands a still but less egocentric, relaxed, lousy and sensitive guy. One that wears a T-shirt, sometimes not even pants, is lazy and is a huge couch potato. However he's also a guy that will swing his arm around you if you sit down next to him. He's a great listener and someone who knows to talk himself out of the most uncomfortable situations.

He never stinks as well, which is a positive thing. Poems, short or long, significant or downright illogical, just come up with him at random. Either giving Krystal a great feeling or a cheap laugh at how bad it is.

It brings a smile on her face to see him again. However the smile is under siege. Something that bothers her makes her seem nervous and her smile as well. Panther isn't blind and sees the trouble raging inside her. He calmly approaches her.

"What's the matter my love?" he asks as he sits down next to her on the bed. "What is plaguing my Krystal's mind? Tell it to Panther."

He used talking in the third-person at the perfect moment. It makes Krystal have a brilliant smile on her face again. Even if it's only for several seconds.

She looks right Panther and feels his paws caress hers. It's a great way of saying that she can tell him anything. He will handle it with care unlike some delivery companies. If it is a secret, he will keep it locked away. If it's a problem, he will try to find a solution with her. Being a telepath and reading this straight out of his thoughts is also a big help.

A deep sigh precedes the truth. She can no longer deny it. This room, the central computer hating her guts apparently and of course all the memories. It's a hard subject to discuss about, let alone bringing it up by someone like Panther. He's pretty protective and jealous when it comes to other men. Fox especially.

"It... It is Fox..." she answers awkward. "It's him..."

"What does that red furry idiot have to do with your suffering?" answers Panther degrading towards Fox.

"Panther!" yells a slick, slightly groggy voice, giving that evil edged feeling. It comes from down the hallway, fairly close to her room. The voice belongs to Wolf, who walks by. He looks somewhat agitated. He couldn't find Panther it seems.

He's always easily angry. "Short fuse." Leon always says with a shrug. "It's his personality. His thing you know? Don't give him a reason to show it however. If he explodes, you'll feel it."

He should know. As Wolf's slimy but nonetheless loyal right hand since the start of Star Wolf, he has seen Wolf age into the mature badass he always saw himself to be. Except that he's now being looked as the biggest hero in Lylat instead of the great warlord he always thought he would be. He might have had a plan for that since Star Wolf was wanted for loads of cash.

He looks around the hallway he's standing in and to his left he's surprised to see that Krystal's room is open. He looks right at her, something he didn't expect and didn't want to happen. He has handled Krystal like a guest of honor ever since she joined. In other words; no unnecessary shouting, grunting, scolding and raging. A quick bite of the tongue is a must.

"Oh hey Krystal." he greets slightly awkward as he enters the room, coming not further than stepping through the doorpost.

He seems a bit more controlled but also clogged up. You can see it by the twitch underneath his right eye, clearly holding back some rage.

"I didn't exactly notice you at first. What's wrong?" he asks not blind either.

"She feels sorry for Fox somehow." replies Panther for her when Krystal can't come forward with it herself.

"Y-yeah... That's it." she verifies soft as Panther's protective grip on her paws strengthens, making her blush slightly.

Wolf raises an eyebrow at this. Not just because this might be the first time he saw those two do anything remotely romantic, but also because Krystal herself chose to forget about Fox and live her life with him and the rest of Star Wolf.

However, one quick look at his watch that displays the date on the background. "Oh yeah... It's your fifth anniversary of the break up with that idiot." brings Wolf up without a grain of compassion towards Krystal, not thinking about how she might feel about the rotten way that he brought up this horrible memory.

She bows her head and swallows hard, trying not to take Wolf's words so personal. "When I told Lylat that I was officially a Star Wolf member... I fell out against Fox. How he ruined my life... The pain I felt... Maybe... I was too harsh?" she asks looking up at Panther.

"Harsh? How could you be harsh by conveying the truth?" asks Panther concerned. "We were saying nothing more than the untainted truth when we gave that message to Lylat."

"I know that. But... It's like... Like... I feel as if I ruined a hero's long time work." she cries softly, pulling her face away. "He saved Lylat over and over... And only a year after his disappearance no one ever brought him up ever again. Not one word."

Panther places his right paw on her right cheek, the one that was pulled away and slowly turns her head back to face his. He can spot three tears streaming down her face. One streams down the left side of her face while two other stream down the right. Panther can feel one touching his paw. The sparkling in her eyes and a bit of liquid welling up in her eyes suggests that more can be on their way. Loose locks of her beautiful blue-purple hair block most of her view, her sparkling eyes.

"He is no hero." He puts the loose hairs away from her face, wipes the tears away and allows her to compose for a bit as he kisses her forehead softly. "For failing you Krystal, he's nothing more than an ordinary villain. Like we used to be." he claims nodding towards Wolf, who just shrugs as if it was natural. "Until we saw the light... And I saw you." he adds flirty.

"Ruining his life-work sounds like a nice side-effect though." comments Wolf compassionless to which Krystal returns a rather angry look. "Okay, okay... I'm sorry. I couldn't resist it." he laughs. "Panther, when you're done here, come meet me on the bridge. There are some matters I want to discuss with you."

"Krystal can't be in that discussion as well... because?" inquires Panther suspicious. "If there are truly matters you need to discuss with me, I suggest you discuss it with the other Star Wolf members, don't you think?"

Wolf just snorts loudly and walks towards the door. He could have spit on the floor to emphasize it, but he explicitly chose to keep it as safe as possible.

Panther is right; he needs to discuss the matters with Star Wolf members; Leon and Panther. Krystal may be treated like a guest of honor and she can play with and fly in the Wolfens like toys given to a child, but that's all. In his eyes, she's not a full Star Wolf member. And if it's up to him, she will never be. The door closes behind Wolf as he walks off.

Panther sighs deep seconds after that has been handled off. The fuse was lit but extinguished in time. Wolf is a good friend of his and a strong partner. He knows that Wolf and Krystal don't have much of a connection with each other and neither tries to form one. It's always tense when those two have a conflict.

He would have no idea what he would do if one of the two would take it too far. If he protected Krystal, what would Wolf do? Kick him off the team like Pigma? Engage in into a fistfight he knows he has no chance of winning? The possibility of Wolf injuring him or even killing him in a fit of rage is not out the question.

And what if he protected Wolf? Would Krystal feel betrayed, therefore essentially saying that only person that has kept her in Star Wolf is supporting the main troublemaker and not her? She would leave the team and be once again heartbroken...

"Well... I'm glad we were able to stop that from escalating." he says to break the silence.

Krystal looks up with an indifferent look on her face, gazing at the door. "I guess..." she exhales deeply, creating an endless stream of smoke coming from her mouth before she turns her head towards Panther, having a soft smile on her face and one eye closed when light shines in that eye. It makes her look even cuter than she already is.

"Thanks for standing up for me."

"It's nothing Krystal. I would do it any day, anytime. And with that thing about Fox... Just try to forget him my dear." states Panther as he walks out of the room to attend to Wolf before he breaks something. "I know it won't be easy..." he says at the doorpost, turning his head around. "...But I'm here if you need me."

The door closes once again when Panther is out of the picture. Krystal is back in her room alone.

Her head falls back into her paws as the air conditioning gets even worse. The stream of air blows directly on her head, messing up her hair on her scalp completely. Groaning, she falls sideways with her head on a pillow and pulls the blankets all over her. It's a bit warmer with it all over her and she can alone with her thoughts. The noise of the machine is still an issue however.

_Just forget him. I wish it was that easy..._ She takes a deep breath and utters a deep sigh. _He's right though. Fox and I are over. It was his fault by the way, not mine. She sighs again before she starts to swoon about her new love. Panther, such a gentlemen. When we first met, many might think he's just ordinary lady's men that caught me like one of the many fish in a pond. However it seems that he can fall in love for real. He's taking us all to the G-Zero Grand Prix on Papetoon. I just hope Leon gets to the controls before we miss it. ROB is being a prick again... Never was anything else anyway._

What Krystal was wondering, actually already happened. On the bridge, almost dancing out of pure joy, Leon finally managed to gain control over the Great Fox II. The letters however have had a new paint job and were changed into "The Great Wolf" just for the sake of it being Star Wolf's mother ship now.

"Heh heh. You can't win against the Great Leon stupid robot!" nags Leon against ROB, who simply lies face down on some controls, reaction-less. He has been this way since Star Wolf took the ship over. Wolf told everyone that he found it during one of his recon missions. And since they were searching for a place to stay that wasn't Sargasso, they simply took it.

"Not that Fox and Falco were there anymore. No one ever wondered where they went anyway." said Wolf.

Leon sits down in the chair and sprawls out to celebrate his victory over a piece of machinery. It wasn't that hard, he just made a lot of dumb mistakes along the way. But now that he finally fixed it, he places his feet on the machinery in front of him, throws his head back and closes his eyes to take some well-earned rest. Until Wolf come barging in of course. A message suddenly opens on Leon's screen along with an annoying alerting noise.

Grumbling and scolding in himself, he sits upright and pushes himself closer to the screen. It's mostly faint white, only little backlight is given. There's however something being spelled on the screen in black color with the font of an old typewriter. It says "Asshole."

"How did you call me!?" shouts Leon furious as the text pastes itself on the screen more and more.

"You still don't have any control over this ship?" comments Wolf as he enters the bridge.

"That robot just called me an asshole!" complains Leon as Wolf is followed by Panther and Krystal who both disperse and take their own seats, trying to mind their own business. ROB's detectors and facial recognition software detects Krystal entering the bridge and beeps up the intercom.

"I don't work with criminals and a traitor!"

The otherwise motionless robot suddenly raises his head. Despite his long state of decay, it goes without a creak. The head starts spinning before looking right at Krystal. Small, fierce red lights come up from the eyes and glare at Krystal.

A bit awkwardly, she glares back at the robot. It's a very dirty glare, one that reflects how annoyed and frustrated that tin can makes her. But ROB has a trick up his sleeve.

"Traitor!" he screeches over the intercom to a now stricken Krystal, who was already not feeling well.

"That robot needs to shut its processor!" commands Wolf sitting in Fox's big, comfy chair trying to look like he's in control. "But until then…"

He draws his blaster from the holster and without looking, he fires one shot right into the intercom's speaker. The screech coming from ROB is cut off by a loud bang, scaring the living daylights out of Leon who was intensely focused on counting how many times the screen called him an asshole.

The bang was a great way to bring silence and sanity to the bridge. As a click coming from the holster indicates the Wolf's blaster is back, life goes on like nothing ever happened.

Krystal turns her chair around and faces her own controls. She decides to get back to work, just exhaling out the problems. Her fingers begin to type the keys on her keyboard as she has some files and documents to finish up and order. Midway through however, Panther suddenly puts his paw on hers.

"Huh? P-Panther…?" she stammers questioning as she sees Panther coming closer.

"There's nothing to be afraid about. ROB can't get to you. No one can. Not while I'm here." He holds her face in his paws and brings it closer. "I care about you Krystal. I love you."

"I-I…"

"Don't say a thing then." he says calming and passionately as he kisses her on the mouth. It lasts only a few seconds before he pulls back. Krystal is surprised but pleasantly. A moment of solace for her in an otherwise blackened situation.

"Powalski!" shouts Wolf after the moment of silence. "Get us to Papetoon. If we wanna be on time for Panther's paid trip and event, we better hurry."

"Certainly." says Leon as he resets the screen telling him to be an asshole and tells the autopilot to move to Papetoon.

The big ship slowly turns to the course for that green planet. The bridge remains completely silent as everyone minds their own business. Wolf puts his paws behind his head and decides to relax for a bit. Saving his voice and keeping his temper. Leon goes back to lying sprawled out in his chair. Krystal and Panther occasionally look at each other, both blushing a bit when they do.

As the planet comes closer and all seems peaceful on the bridge, ROB receives an unusual news report. It causes a sudden shock that moves through his body like an alarm set on vibrate. He quickly turns off the alarm for reasons only known by him at this point.


End file.
